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🎪 QUANTUM LEAP MUSIC FESTIVAL The Quantum Leap Music Festival is a high-voltage celebration of rhythm, groove, and musical heritage, bringing together some of the most influential artists from New Orleans and beyond. The brass will be blaring with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Preservation Hall Legacy Band, while groove pioneers The Headhunters and Leo Nocentelli of The Meters take funk to the next level. Donald Harrison Jr. shows his range with the Nouveau Swing Experience, the Congo Square Nation Afro–New Orleans Group, the Soul Music Summit, and an All-Star Jam Band with Wil Blades, Will Bernard, Raymond Weber, Nori Naraoka, and more guests to be announced. The festival also features powerhouse voices like Erica Falls, the zydeco fire of CJ Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band, blues master Vasti Jackson, the keyboard mastery of Zaccai Curtis and Kyle Roussel, and the genre-bending New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars. With Cyril Neville adding his legendary voice and DJ Antwigadee! keeping the party moving between sets, this is a rare chance to feel the full spectrum of New Orleans’ sound and soul in one place. MORE INFO

🎷 Keepers of the Flame

Classic tradition is alive this week with Evan Sherman at the Morris Museum (Aug 14) bringing big band swing energy, and Organ Monk Trio at Arthur’s Tavern (Aug 14) keeping the Hammond organ groove rooted in Monk’s legacy. The Orrin Evans Trio at the Jazz Gallery (Aug 14) offers modern swing with deep roots, while The Headhunters at The Iridium (Aug 14) carry forward the funk-jazz torch. David Gibson Quartet at Django (Aug 15), Mariel Bildsten Quartet at Cellar Dog (Aug 15), Mingus Dynasty at Zinc Bar (Aug 15), and Patience Higgins at Patrick’s Place (Aug 15) all stay close to the classic jazz tradition. Ken Peplowski Trio at Mezzrow (Aug 15–16) and Lonnie Plaxico Group at Smalls (Aug 15–16) are masters of straight-ahead. The weekend closes with Oscar Peterson at 100 at Birdland Theater (Aug 15–17) and Andrea Wolper at Jazz Vespers (Aug 17) — both steeped in timeless artistry.//

✊ Voices of Resistance

Melanie Charles curates an outdoor concert at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (Aug 14) with Charles Turner & The House of Spilata, elevating community and Black artistry. Terri Lyne Carrington’s We Insist 2025! at Jazzmobile in Marcus Garvey Park (Aug 15) honors Max Roach’s civil rights masterpiece with vocalist Christie Dashiell. Vocalist Ekep Nkwelle at Dizzy’s (Aug 16–17) brings emotionally charged storytelling to the stage. Milton Suggs at Harlem Jazz Boxx (Aug 15) continues the tradition of jazz as a vessel for truth-telling and cultural preservation.

🚀 Boundary-Pushers

Drummer Marcus Gilmore at Saint Peter’s Church (Aug 14) pushes rhythmic innovation, while Micah Thomas at CloseUp (Aug 14–15) brings modern piano mastery. Theo Croker at Blue Note (Aug 14–17) blends cosmic jazz, funk, and hip-hop influences. Vivian Sessoms Quartet at Django (Aug 14) merges jazz, soul, and contemporary textures. Tyreek McDole (Aug 14 at Club Room, Aug 16 at CloseUp) is a rising vocalist mixing tradition with modern phrasing. Pianist Victor Gould Quartet at Mezzrow (Aug 15–16) and vocalist Willis Edmunson Trio at The Penrose (Aug 17) lean into genre-blending exploration.

🎯 MUST SEE NEXT WEEK

Two standout events highlight the week ahead, each celebrating a different corner of the jazz tradition. On Aug 19, pianist and educator Bertha Hope takes the spotlight for Harlem Speaks at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem (7pm), sharing stories and music from her remarkable career in a setting that blends conversation with performance. That same evening, Dizzy’s Club hosts an Art Farmer Birthday Tribute with the Jerry Weldon Sextet, honoring the lyrical trumpet and flugelhorn master with arrangements that recall Farmer’s elegance, swing, and subtle fire. Both evenings promise to deliver not just music, but living history.

Bryant Park: 6th Ave, New York. 212-768-4242. bryantpark.org. Aug 13, 14, 15: 12:30pm – Pete Malinverni; Aug 18, 19: 12:30pm – Joel Forrester.

Anderson Plaza: 20 Anderson St, New Rochelle. Aug 14: 6:00pm – Jazz Under the Stars: T.K. Blue and "Organ Eyes".

Kupferberg Center for the Arts: 153-49 Reeves Ave, Flushing. 718-793-8080. kupferbergcenter.org. Aug 14: 7:00pm – Queens Jazz Trail Concert: High & Mighty Brass Band.

Horans Landing Park: 9 River St, Sleepy Hollow. 914-631-1000. jazzforumarts.org. Aug 19: 6:30pm – Mark Morganelli & The Jazz Forum All-Stars Celebrate Brasil! (Eddie Monteiro, Roni Ben-Hur & Nanny Assis).

Lyndhurst Estate: 635 S Broadway, Tarrytown. 914-631-1000. jazzforumarts.org. Aug 14: 6:30pm – Mimi Jones Quartet.

Borghese Vineyard: 17150 Middle Rd, Cutchogue. 504-578-6685. nola2nofo.com. Aug 14 - 17: 1:00pm – Quantum Leap Music Festival with Big Chief Donald Harrison.

Thorne Street Park: 504 Thorne St, Horseheads. 607-739-394. Aug 16: 12:00am – Ferrario Elmira Jazz Festival.

Waryas Park: Waryas Park Promenade, Poughkeepsie. 845-384-6350. jazzinthevalleyny.org. Aug 16: 3:00pm – Jazz in the Valley: Craig Harris, Breathe; Aug 17: 3:00pm – Jazz in the Valley: Jazzmeia Horn, Echoes of an Era, Bobby Sanabria.

Morristown Green: 10 N Park Pl, Morristown, NJ 07960. morristownjazzandblues.org. Aug 16: 12:00pm – Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival: Dani G and Friends, The Jazz Ambassadors, Blues People, Samantha Fish.

Wellmont Arts Plaza: Seymour Plaza, Montclair, NJ 07042. Aug 16: 11:00pm – Emerging Artists! JAZZ HOUSE Summer Showcase.